BEIRUT (AP) — White Helmets volunteers trapped in southern Syria after the government seized areas they operated in say they live in fear of being caught in the dragnet of the government, which considers them its staunchest enemy, and are desperately seeking a way out.

Hundreds of White Helmets volunteers failed to make it out of southern Syria in a complex international evacuation this week because they were caught in the fast-changing battlefield.

Two of those who couldn't make the evacuation tell The Associated Press on Wednesday they live incognito, using off roads to avoid government checkpoints and moving in tight circles.

The psychological pressure, both say, is even more crippling. Unlike others who decided to stay in the government-controlled south, the White Helmets say it is impossible to trust the government to reconcile.